Hospital Director and Caregiver Receive Suspended Sentences After Patient Beaten to Death by Restrained Roommate

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A hospital director and a ward caregiver have received suspended prison sentences after failing to properly manage a hospital ward, leading to a patient being beaten to death.

The Incheon District Court announced today (July 13) that Judge Kang Seong-young sentenced the director of a psychiatric hospital in Incheon, identified as A (60), to eight months in prison, suspended for two years, and a ward caregiver, B (65), to one year in prison, suspended for two years, on charges of professional negligence resulting in death.

A and B were indicted for failing to properly manage a hospital ward in Gyeyang-gu, Incheon, on the early morning of November 2, 2023, which allowed a patient, C, to assault and kill another patient, D.

Previously, on October 24, 2023, C had been admitted to the hospital for emergency treatment after assaulting a passerby and damaging a police patrol car.

As C continued to exhibit violent behavior, A moved C to a ward specifically housing patients with cognitive impairments.

These patients were kept with their limbs restrained during nighttime hours due to the risk of them wandering around due to delirium.

Hospital director A had assigned only one caregiver to the ward and had failed to install closed-circuit (CC) cameras inside the patient rooms or provide special training.

Under these circumstances, it was revealed that C punched D, who was lying in the same room with their limbs restrained, in the abdomen multiple times, resulting in D's death.

Upon witnessing the incident, caregiver B merely shouted, "Stop and go to sleep," without attempting to stop the assault or notifying the medical staff.

Judge Kang stated, "Hospital director A decided to place C, a patient with a high risk of violence, in the same room as patients whose cognitive abilities and reality-testing skills were significantly impaired," adding, "This resulted in an increased risk of harm to other patients."

The judge further noted, "Although the hospital director had a professional duty of care to establish a management and supervision system, they failed to provide the caregiver with specific response guidelines," and added, "If proper separation and a constant monitoring system had been in place, it is highly likely that the victim's death could have been prevented."

Judge Kang explained the sentencing, stating, "The defendants' culpability is not light, and the emotional shock and suffering of the victim's bereaved family are likely immense," but added, "We took into account that the foundation deposited 100 million won for the bereaved family and that neither defendant has a prior criminal record exceeding a fine or a suspended sentence."

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